Why should you care about your neighbourhood?
Broken Windows Theory
In 1982, political scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George Keeling introduced their "Broken Windows Theory” which states: "If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken… one unrepaired window is a signal that no one cares and so breaking more windows will cost nothing."
The broken window is a metaphor for the effects of minor crime in communities. The theory states that if minor crimes in a community are allowed to happen, this sends a signal that nobody cares about the community, resulting in a lack of interest and fear among community members and an open door for more serious types of crime.
What Broken Windows Theory encourages is an immediate response to minor crimes in order to prevent more serious criminal activities from happening. This means cleaning up graffiti, fixing broken windows, picking up syringes, beer bottles and other garbage in parks and on streets. It also means stopping behaviours that threaten a neighbourhood like public drunkenness, harassment, drug sales and the sex trade.
This approach has been adopted by communities and police services across North America. It has been most successful in New York City, which in 1994 made a big effort to reduce the sex trade, panhandling, and graffiti, resulting in a dramatic reduction of more serious crimes in the following years.
What can individuals do about broken windows?
It is important to remember that everyone has a role to play in keeping our neighbourhoods safe and liveable. While we all need help and need to know where to get it, problem-solving needs to start with each one of us, before we pick up the phone.
Problem solving in your neighbourhood
Every solution to a problem should begin with an assessment to help you figure out what the issues really are, what you can do about them and who you might need to call for help.
As assessment can be as simple as answering the following questions:
- What problems do we see in our neighbourhood?
- What is working well in the neighbourhood?
- Are things being done that aren’t working?
- Do we have any ideas that might help to fix the problems?
- Who can help us fix this?
Once you have answered these questions you will know whether the solution to the problem is a matter of talking to a neighbour about the issue, forming an association to address it, or whether you need to call By-law, the police or another organization to help you solve it.
It is always a good idea to try to work with others – friends, neighbours and community organizations who can help - to solve problems in your community. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and remember that you should always approach a situation with good sense and safety in mind.
A more complex problem solving model you might want to look at is SARA, which stands for Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment. SARA is used in “problem-oriented policing”, an approach that is proactive and not focused on the criminal justice system, and that brings together public agencies, the community and the private sector to help solve a problem. More information about the SARA model can be found at: http://www.popcenter.org/about/?p=sara.
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CEPTED) is a model also used by city planners, architects, police services and community members to encourage people to think about the physical environment, our buildings and public spaces, and how they can be made to discourage crime and criminal activity. More information about CEPTED is available at: http://www.cptedontario.ca/.
